The Importance of Being Neville
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: Neville is wondering if he is a Really Useful Engine at all, but when BoCo and Derek need help, will Neville be able to do it?


Neville is a black steam engine that either works on the Main Line or Edward's Branch.

Engines often teased him about his shape, but this usually didn't bother him; he knew he was Really Useful. But recently he was feeling rather down.

One evening, he slowly puffed into Crovan's Gate with a goods train.

He was getting ready to go on the turntable when a voice sounded behind him.

"What is _that_ thing?!" the voice spluttered.

Neville looked back and saw a blue saddletank on the narrow gauge track.

He noticed on his nameplate that he was "Sir Handel."

Neville smiled.

"Hello, I'm Neville."

Sir Handel scoffed.

"Pah! What on Sodor are you? You look more like a Diesel than a steam engine. Get an overhaul, you look ridiculous! Why do you think that the engines hate you?" said Sir Handel crossly.

Nevile's feelings were beyond words.

His driver tried to comfort him.

"It's alright, Neville. Some engines just aren't nice, that's all." he said, but Neville said nothing as he backed into the shed for the night.

"I guess I am a box engine..." he sighed as he started to doze off.

The next morning, Neville was sent to Edward's Branch to help with the workload.

Donald and Douglas met up with him at Knapford along the way.

"Hello, Neville." peeped Donald, but Neville didn't answer; he was too busy thinking.

"I am a weird engine... Oh, what is the use. I'm not useful." he sighed to himself.

Donald and Douglas exchanged a worried look.

"Och, is something on ye mind yon Neville?" Donald asked.

Neville jumped; he didn't expect the twins to hear him.

"Uh, nothing."

"That didna sound like nothing." Douglas said.

Neville sighed.

"All right... I don't think I'm useful. I usually just do odd jobs around the yard, and I usually don't do anything interesting. Plus, everybody hates me. Sir Handel said so."

Donald and Douglas could swear that they saw tears in the young engine's eyes.

"Aye, just ignore him. Sir Handel's not that trustworthy." soothed Donald, but Neville puffed away before he could hear.

Neville sulked all day, wondering about who he wanted to be.

"Well, it's clearly not a black box..." he said quietly as he organized the yard.

Meanwhile, on the Skarloey Railway, Skarloey was furious; he had heard about it from Donald.

"Why would you do such a thing?" he spluttered.

"Well. I couldn't tell. What was I supposed to do?" huffed Sir Handel.

"I think you need a timeout." said Peter Sam.

"Pah! Engines don't get timeouts.."

"In this case, you will." said a familiar voice.

The engines looked down to see the Thin Controller standing there, facepalming.

"Sir Handel... Oh, I don't know what to do with you..."

"Hmph!" grumbled Sir Handel and sulked in the shed.

Skarloey was still cross.

"You caused him to be depressed, Sir Handel!" he fumed.

"Brother, I think it might be best if you just let it work out on its own." soothed Rheneas.

"I guess so..." sighed Skarloey as the engines started to fall asleep.

But he was naturally worried for Neville; he never liked to see anybody upset, even somebody he never met before.

"I hope he's alright..." he puffed to himself.

The next morning, Neville woke up to the sound of an engine purring; it was BoCo.

Neville yawned as the firelighter lit his fire.

"Morning, sleepyhead." chuckled BoCo and he oiled away towards the Clay Pits to look after the twins.

Neville groaned as the driver came and he puffed out of the shed.

He soon puffed away with a slow goods.

Out by Suddery, BoCo smiled; he was in a good mood as he set off for Wellsworth.

But then he saw Derek up ahead.

"Oh no! Looks like he's overheated again. I guess I have time to push him to the Dieselworks." he said to himself.

He buffered up to Derek and began to push.

Derek along with his train were very heavy indeed.

"Almost there..." panted BoCo.

But suddenly, BoCo's energy seemed to be sucked out immediately.

"Oh, I feel my ejector failing!" he groaned.

"That's done it," said the driver, 'You can't push the train now."

BoCo was disappointed; now both he and Derek needed fixing.

A while down the line, red flags were put on the rails so approaching engines could be warned.

Neville's driver noticed the flags on the tracks.

"Stop!" he cried, and Neville stopped.

The guard from Derek's train walked up.

"Neville, we need you to push Derek and his train along with BoCo to Wellsworth. From there, another engine can take them to the Dieselworks. Do you think you can do it?"

Neville gulped.

"I guess so." Neville edged forward to BoCo.

"You can do it, Neville!" encouraged his driver.

A flash of determination fled through his boiler as he started to push.

"I will do it, I will do it!" he panted as he started to push BoCo and Derek.

"You can indeed!" encouraged BoCo.

Neville pushed harder than he ever had before.

At last, the trains moved a bit more easily.

Wheel turn by wheel turn, the engines set off for Wellsworth.

Despite struggling, Nevile managed to push everybody to Wellsworth.

Stanley had been there to witness.

"Wow, Neville. I think the Fat Controller would say you're an Enterprising Engine!"

"I am useful after all!" Neville cheered.

BoCo chuckled.

"We knew that all along, Neville. But it took this rescue for you to believe in yourself."

Neville grinned as Douglas arrived to take the Diesels to the Dieselworks, leaving the trucks in a siding for Edward to take.

That night, the Fat Controller came to see Neville.

"Well, Neville, BoCo has told me about your escapade as well as what Sir Handel said. Well, don't worry about it, because you're an Enterprising Engine and nothing can change that."

Neville smiled; he knew now that he was indeed a Really Useful Engine.

"I know understand the importance of being me," he said to himself as he dozed off.


End file.
